In the Air

Tonight, as I came out of Wal-Mart, bags strung up my arms as usual, feeling particularly distressed with the current moment of life, I breathed deeply. A familiar smell filled the atmosphere and overwhelmed my senses, bringing me such comfort. It had just rained, a soft and quick spring shower, and the air was thick with the smell of orange blossoms. If I could do anything, I would contain that smell somehow and send it to you. 

The aroma always takes me back to my very first spring here. I immediately find myself on a bus, surrounded by elementary kids, driving country roads through orange groves in Frostproof. They smelled like orange cookies to me then. And that Spring was difficult:  my first year so far from family, struggling so badly to discover who I was, feeling completely out of place. I felt as adolescent on that bus as I did my very own elementary school bus. 

The fragrance of orange blossoms beckoned my attention away from myself. God had put such beauty around me and He was calling me to see it, sense it. It was unlike anything I had experienced in West Virginia (which, when I think about it, smells a little more like dirt and leaves :). And now, those fragrant orange blossoms always mark for me, almost more than anything else, a new year. Each time I smell them, I think about how close Jesus always is to me, and especially in the moments when I may feel most alone. 

Since I've moved here I've badly missed seasons. Most specifically, Spring, my absolute favorite. Spring in West Virginia is such a beautiful moment and so very significant for the soul. Without the harsh winter and its bitter cold. The way it imprisons you. The way it often freezes time, in good ways and in bad. Without it, Spring loses its significance. 

But the smell of those orange blossoms always reminds me that God is still in the business of changing seasons. In the environment. In my life. And when I look back on the first time I smelled orange blossoms, I am so thankful for everything between that moment and this one. God has done so many incredible, intricate things. So many miracles. I can breathe in the sweetness of Spring and anticipate all God will do in the coming years and, especially, their respective "springs".